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What do professors look for in a potential student?

While researching the variety of art colleges and programs across the country I get the opportunity to talk with a lot of admissions professionals and professors. From size to location and focus, they all share the same goal of guiding their students as they become productive and successful artists and designers. While each program is unique, they employ similar methodologies to reach their goals and objectives. One objective they share is to begin each school year with a class of motivated students.

Why? Research has shown that those who are motivated – driven and passionate about their path of study – will be the most successful in the long run. In today’s vernacular, “grit” is the term you hear most often.

Whether you call it motivation, passion, drive, or something else entirely, it turns out that grit greatly matters. Psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth has researched the subject extensively, and she shared her observations about the connection between grit and success at a TedTalks Education forum in April of last year.

Are you passionate about your art? If so, then make sure those at the colleges you apply to can see it. We all know that the things we’re motivated about are those we spend more time on. Put time and dedication into your work now. Search beyond your classroom projects to find opportunities to expand and challenge yourself. Your portfolio will be richer for it, and your investment will pay off when it’s time to apply to college.

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